The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-10-06
WHY IS THIS7
Hospital.

why Is 1t t0af every HOVeLueuL tAo ou-
forcement of law, every suggestion in the di-
rection of purifying politics and elevating the
tone Of public affairs, should arouse the wrath
Of Democratic paperse They seem to take
every suggestion of the kind as an attack on
the Democratic party, and resent it as II 1t
were personal insult Surely, not all Dem
ocrats are opposed to honest politics and the
enforcement of law and order. Surely,
considerable number of that party are as much
interested in good government and good
morals as the members of any other party.
There are honest, selfrespecting men in the
Democratic party who have no sympathy with
corruption in politics, and who do sympathize
with the cause of law and order. Why is it
then that every movement and suggestion of
that kind so excites and enrages the party or
gansf 1t must be because the organs do not
represent the better sentiment of the party,
and are wholly in sympathy with the law
defying and law breaking element
There is in this city an organization called
the Evangelical Ministers Association, en-
DTdCluR ucdIly oil VI luo IOlcSldAI liihioeCAS
in the city. 1t is non-sectarian, and its dis
cussions and proceedings relate to such mat
ters as pertain to the field of religious and
moral reform outside of denominational work.
AT meeting held few days ago, attended
by twenty more ministers, the Rev. r. V.
Hunter read paper which he had been re-
quested to prepare, in which the nearest ap-
proach to politics was the following:
1.-THE election laws were broken in this city
only last autumn. There has been no denial
of the fact that there was changing OF the
tally-sheets. There is not much question as
to who the forgers were, and although the
courts failed to find the guilty parties. yet
the court of public opinion has them located.
These leaders in lawlessness seem to have 9
large influence among certain people. Their
influence and their violations seem to be too
much for the safety or the healthfulness of
city. We need a standard of public opin
ion that will relegate this class of criminals
to the shades. where they properly belong"
Every word of this is true, and there is
nothing in it to offend any honest man. Mr..
Hunter never uttered truer words or sounder
ment is one that can be Endorsed by every
preacher in the city, Protestant or Catholic,
Jew or gentle, and approved by every honest
man. irrespective of party. 1t is non-par-
tisan and non-personal statement. There is
no disputing the facts stated, nor the conclu-
sion that we need public opinion that will
''relegate this class of criminals to the shades
where they properly belong"
The Sentinel attacks the paper and its au-
thor in a very abusive editorial column and
half long It evidently constructs the
presentation of the statistics Of vice and the
suggestion of the enforcement of law as an
attack on the Coy gang Perhaps MIR. Hunter
erred in not exposing the vices Of ancient
Rome and the political corruptions of the
republic of Venice. Possibly he might even
have ventured to deprecate the growth of i'm
morality in European cities and the corrupt
practices of Boss Tweed in New York. But
when he discussed lawlessness and vice in
Indianapolis and denounced the tally-sheet
forgeries of last fall. he became an offensive
partisan" and exposed himself to the wrath
of the Coy gang and their organ. In pro-
posing law and order league for the better
enforcement of law and the punishment of
crime Mr. Hunter touched them on the raw.